Five Postural Joints and the Things That Swing Around Them

Five Postural Joints and the Things That Swing Around Them with Jeremy Chance

“There is no such thing as a right position, but there is such a thing as a right direction.” --FMA

FM Alexander discovered that all mammals have a primary movement that functions in a unified way to optimise other movements. This Primary or Postural Movement System (PMS) is fundamentally distinct from our Voluntary Movement System (VMS) because it is not concerned with movements in space, but instead with the relativity of parts within the organism itself.

Alexander discovered that this binary movement system first involves specific “directions” which, in turn, optimise other movements. Combined with his touch, FM trained his students to project these specific “directions” mentally to optimise the use of the organism.

In this workshop Jeremy will explore - both experientially and anatomically – which parts of you are moving, and where, by highlighting five sets of critical “postural” joints that Alexander’s specific “directions” depend upon.

Complimentary tickets are available to any teachers, trainees, and students who identify as Black, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, or Persons of Color (BIPOC). Our community is enhanced by an abundance of diversity and diminished without it. Email us at jleibowitzscholarship@amsatonline.org for your VIP code.

About Jeremy

Jeremy Chance, STAT cert. first experienced Alexander's Discovery in 1968. He began teaching in 1979 and over his career has been involved in many projects: founding AUSTAT in Australia, publishing the DIRECTION Journal (now available from Mouritz), writing “The Principles of the Alexander Technique” available in seven languages and from 1999, founding and running BodyChance – a teacher training school in Japan.

Before COVID, BodyChance was more like an Alexander college, with over 140 trainees. Today it is one of the longest-running schools in the world. In 2023 Jeremy sold BodyChance to Zen Place, a Pilates and Yoga company with 130 studios spread throughout Japan. He continues as Director of Zen BodyChance and writes a regular blog “Jeremy’s (sometimes) Daily” where many of the practices and ideas explored in this workshop were first expressed.

https://www.alexandertechnique.co.jp/mailmagazine

Learn more about the Judith Leibowitz Scholarship Fund at www.judithleibowitzscholarship.org

A temporary recording of this workshop, for personal use only, will be shared with everyone who registers and will be available on our website by donation. Visit our Videos page to watch the work of our past presenters!

Your donations to the Judith Leibowitz Scholarship Fund through AmSAT, a registered nonprofit 501(c)(3), are tax-deductible.